Quadcopter (will update as I go)

Recently I have become interested in flight/aerodynamics and while my schooling is oriented in mechanical design, it doesn’t really delve into this realm of knowledge or design of aerodynamics, unless Iwant to get a different degree. So as a hold me over I have decided to assemble a little craft to begin dabbling around with flight and automation of aircraft. This is purely an interest and will probably be a huge waste of time and money but it seems like it could be a fun challenge and a rewarding accomplishment to get one of these things in that air and flying around on its own.

The Parts

Materials List:

(1) 11.1v 3.3a Lipo Battery Pack

(1) 3.5mm Quad Power Distro Board

(4) 20a ESC with 5v/3a BEC

(4) 900kv Prop Drive Motor with Prop Mount Kit

(2) CCW 10×4.5 Propellor

(2) CW 10×4.5 Propellor

(1) 450mm Quad Frame

(1) 8 Channel Transmitter and Receiver Pack

(1) OpenPilot Flight Controller

(1) Pack of 3.5mm Barrel Connectors

Assembly

I have assembled a kit frame to start out with, my plan is to design and 3D print my own frame in the near future but wanted to get all of the electronics figured out and running first. The motors are mounted and the speed controllers are in place and need soldered to the power distribution board.

The electronic speed controllers are all soldered with connectors and the power distribution board is connected.

Getting the flight controller and RC receiver mounted wasn’t too bad, I had to prep the ESC control wires by removing the BEC voltage supply line from all except for one to power the flight controller and receiver. Other than that, this part was super easy and quick. I also added some heat shrink to the ESC connectors that I had previously soldered, and mounted the props. At this point the quad is pretty much assembled. The final piece was the battery.

casualties

I ended up losing a few pieces in the process of figuring out how the electronics of the RC world work. 2 RC receivers and 1 flight controller lost their lives. 1 Chunks lost $60 in parts…